


Work, Work (We're Looking for a Mind)

by SilverRose42



Series: These Women Who Will Conquer [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, F/F, Female Tony Stark, Female-Centric, Feminist Themes, Gay Male Character, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Lesbian Character, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, She hates Howard, Toni rocks her world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 13:43:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8580757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverRose42/pseuds/SilverRose42
Summary: Antonia Edith Stark has a car battery keeping her alive, even as she’s being held by terrorists in a cave in Afghanistan. They want her to build them weapons. Toni grins up at them, and does the exact opposite.It’s the story of her life.





	

Antonia Edith Stark has a car battery keeping her alive, even as she’s being held by terrorists in a cave in Afghanistan. They want her to build them weapons. Toni grins up at them, and does the exact opposite.

It’s the story of her life.

~*~

Howard, when he acknowledged her, wanted her to be the perfect daughter – she would grow up, marry a rich man, and care for him for the rest of her life. Like Maria had done for him.

Toni wanted no part of that plan. It sounded boring, and besides, she wasn’t interested in men anyway.

That was the first and only time that Howard left bruises that could be seen easily on Toni.

~*~

She gets a PhD in Engineering, Biology, and Chemistry, just to spite Howard.

~*~

Obie smiles down at her, and says that there’s no need for her to get involved with the company. That she can leave it all to him.

The minute she turns twenty-one, she takes over. She can handle herself.

~*~  
They tell her to build them weapons, in the dirty little cave.

She builds a suit, and escapes.

~*~

She’s Ironman. The press thought that she was male in the armour, and the name had just sort of stuck. She was actually okay with it.

~*~

She slowly falls in love with Pepper Potts. (She’s still not interested in men.) She get palladium poisoning, and creates a new element. Rhodey becomes War Machine.

Then everything goes to hell.

~*~

Steve Rogers, Captain America is finally found. He’s alive, at that.

The press ask how Toni feels, to finally finish Howard’s search. Does she think her father would be proud?

Toni detests her father, and thinks that he would yell at her for taking so long to find Rogers. She doesn’t say that though. In fact, she ignores the press entirely.

SHIELD asks if she wants to meet Rogers. Toni decides that she’s going to ignore Rogers for as long as possible. At least until she can gain control over her feelings.

Unfortunately, Toni doesn’t get what she wants in this case. Because Loki happens.

~*~

Toni hits the bridge of the helicarrier, and sets JARVIS to hack everything. She meets Bruce Banner, and cheerfully gets to work with him. (And okay, maybe she tries to see how much of a hold he’s got on the Hulk – she’s a genius, but she doesn’t always think about things.)

She ends up arguing with Captain America. (She doesn’t mean to. There was, after all, a reason she stayed away.)

They eventually get Loki dealt with though, and Toni, over Shawrma, invites them all to live in the Tower. Steve, surprisingly accepts automatically.

~*~

Toni sort of forgets that other people live in her Tower now. So much so, that when she walks into the communal kitchen, she’s wearing beat up plaid flannel pyjama pants and a worn out MIT shirt. The shirt is falling off her shoulder, and everyone can see the beginnings of a think ropey scar that Howard left her. They also get to see her hair, dark as a raven’s wing, with it’s bright red streaks, standing up like Einstein’s.

It’s clear that Steve wants to ask. It’s also clear that Natasha’s the one who shuts him up. Toni decides that it’s too late for her to back out now, and gets her damn coffee, which is what she wanted to begin with, and wanders back to her lab.

~*~

Steve tries to apologize to her, of course. He tries to apologize for treating her like Howard, for fighting with her on the helicarrier.

Toni tells him to shut the fuck up, and watch Disney movies with him.

Their relationship gets much better after that.

~*~

Bucky Barnes comes back. Steve tells Toni that he’s the one that caused the car crash. Toni takes a deep breath, and tells Steve that she will talk to Bucky when she’s got her emotions under control, and Steve nods.

Because really, Toni understand that Bucky is not at fault. But that doesn’t mean that she can’t be upset. Sure Howard was a dick, but Maria was nice. Not a particularly nurturing mother, but nice all the same.

~*~

Toni approaches Bucky two months after his arrival at the Tower. Bucky opens his mouth, most likely to apologize, but Toni cuts him off. “We will not talk about my parents,” she says sharply. “You don’t need to apologize, but we will not be speaking about Howard and Maria Stark.” Bucky shuts his mouth, and give a sharp nod. And well, that’s that. Problem solved.

~*~

Toni watches with amusement as Bucky follows Steve around and pulls him out of trouble. She watches that sort of thing, even as Pepper curls up beside him, a smile on her face. Toni grins wide when Steve kisses Bucky to stop the lecture that Bucky’s trying to give. She likes these people, she decides. She likes her life.

~*~

Antonia Edith Stark did not have an excellent childhood. She didn’t have a family. But now. Well, she does like the family she’s made.

**Author's Note:**

> Ha ha! Clint's next.


End file.
